The majority of CCA and other art and design college students are a non-traditional science audience, yet they are also part of a generation of “social citizens” that is deeply engaged in addressing major global issues such as climate change and sustainability. CCA student engagement with these issues is evidenced in various initiatives around the college, including CCA’s IMPACT Social Entrepreneurship Award, ENGAGE at CCA, and the EcoTAP stream of courses.
Exploring Science in the Studio demonstrates CCA’s commitment to science pedagogy, environmental studies, and project-based learning. Cited by the Princeton Review in May 2011 as one of the nation’s most green colleges, CCA’s commitment to sustainability is clear. CCA believes that artists, architects, designers, and writers play an important role in addressing issues of sustainability. Whether it’s designing and building solar-powered houses, promoting the use of organic cotton in the fashion design industry, or reusing materials to create meaningful and powerful works of art, our students—across all disciplines— are encouraged to embrace the value of sustainability in their practices. CCA faculty members are leaders in the development of sustainable practice, and this commitment is clearly manifest in the college curriculum.
Having an impact in the twenty-first century means that students must apply their creativity and ability to innovate outside of the studio. Steeped in the Bay Area’s history of social justice and technological innovation, CCA draws upon the environmental movement of the past 40 years as well as the industries that lead in twenty-first-century science, technology, and business innovation. CCA students’ capacity to be involved in project-based problem solving in collaboration with scientists has come to the fore and underscores CCA’s commitment to developing new models of integrated science pedagogy.